9 replies to this topic

[notsofat]

Hi Guys.  I think you all are doing a great service by providing this site.  I have a question.  I bought a kenmore fridge some time back (mod# 253.71832102) and my icemaker has gone out.  I have tried to replace the water inlet valve, but that wasn't the case.  I have read on here how to jump the icemaker, but I don't think I have the nodes you guys are referring to.  The icemakers model number is 240352403.  I am not sure if a connection has gone bad or what the problem might be.

Any help would be seriously appreciated.  Would it be smarter to just get a new icemaker?  Seems like they do not last very long to begin with.

Thanks guys!  d

[Ron]

Hi  D.   Your Kenmore refrigerator was made by Frigidare.  The ice-maker on this one has no test points but you can cycle it by removing the front cover and turning the center screw clockwise.  Once it starts in a cycle it will call for water toward the end of the cycle.  Listen for the water valve at that point and see if it's calling for water.  Ron

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

[user=401]notsofat[/user] wrote:

I have tried to replace the water inlet valve, but that wasn't the case. 

Does that mean you tried and failed to replace the valve or that you did in fact replace the valve but that didn't fix the problem?

 

 I have read on here how to jump the icemaker, but I don't think I have the nodes you guys are referring to. 

No, you have the old-style Whirlpool-built icemaker.  Don't fool with it, just buy a new icemaker.

[notsofat]

I did replace the inlet valve, but it didn't fix the problem.  Also, I have turned the screw to begin a new cycle, but am still not getting anything.  How do I know where the problem is?

I would love to just buy a new one, but I am a very broke graduate student and will end up having to invest in plastic ice trays before I can afford a new icemaker.

Thanks for all the help to this point.

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

[user=401]notsofat[/user] wrote:

I did replace the inlet valve, but it didn't fix the problem. ...
I would love to just buy a new one, but I am a very broke graduate student

Wait: you're a graduate student, so you have an undergrad degree, and you've just thrown a part (and money) at a problem with no empirical justification and now you're too broke to fix the real problem? 

You gotta be an Education major. 

Pull the cover off the icemaker and check the main timing gear. 

And get a job, for crying out loud.

[notsofat]

:X

FYI, I did have a reason to replace the water valve.  I checked it with a multimeter and found no resistance.  Those who are supposed to know more about appliances than I do suggested that it should be replaced (per various posts on this site).  The local repair shop also checked it and agreed that it should be replaced.  However, I have done so and to no avail.

I do have an undergraduate degree and am not an education major.  You certainly seem to have a chip on your shoulder about grad students.  To set the record straight, I am working on my Ph.D. in genetics.  I get paid a small stipend for the research that I do, even though we usually work 100+ hours a week.  I would call this a job.

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

[user=401]notsofat[/user] wrote:

You certainly seem to have a chip on your shoulder about grad students. 

Not at all.  I've been there:  M.S. Environmental Systems Engineering, Clemson University, 1988.  So I expect more out of you because of it.  Hey, you brought it up. 

And you didn't mention the fact that you used a multimeter to test the valve.  I don't read minds; I comment on the posts as they're written.  Anything else you think I should know that's relevant to your icemaker problem?

Open the module head and you'll see this inside:



The problem is most likely either the main timing gear, as I linked you to previously, or one of the microswitches inside the module head.  Occasionally, I see the thermostat go bad.  The switches are tricky to catch because they usually test good at room temp, but act flakey at freezer temps; I usually just replace both microswitches for a couple bucks a piece.

[notsofat]

Hey, you brought it up. 

Touche!  However, I made the statement to really stress my need to be frugal, not to take a punch in the gut.  I did not mean to get so upset about the real job comment.  Having been there, I hope you remember what it is like to have people not take the post-baccalaureate education seriously.

I have checked all three swithches at RT and in the freezer, but they seem okay.  You said it could be the thermostat.  I have pulled it off completely and checked the wire coming from it with a multimeter.  It shows infinite resistance, meaning the circuit is open.  Is this the case with a faulty thermometer?

I will probably adhere to your initial advice and get a new icemaker (when I can afford one), but would like to figure out what is wrong with this one for education sake.

[exsearsguy]

check your shutoff arm and make it is coming all the way down. Tap it slightly and listen for a very faint click.If you hear it, watch and see if your icemaker takes off.